Update: New Years Moto Resolution #7 - Check!

If you read my New Years Moto Resolution blog that I posted back in January, then you know #7 on my list for 2016 was to buy some type of Dual Sport or Adventure bike. Well, I am happy to report that I did it! I just pre-ordered an RX3 Cyclone Zongshen motorcycle. Wahoo!

A CSC photo

If you are not familiar with the RX3, then you must be living under a rock or just don't read a lot of motorcycle news/blogs. These bikes are like the best bang for your buck motorcycle, that is finally now being imported to the USA by CSC Motorcycles located out of sunny Azusa, CA, a suburb of LA.

The Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) however, has been around in southeast Asia for a few years. Zongshen Motorsports or as public traded, Chongqing Zongshen Power Machinery Company, has been around since 1992. It was founded by Zuo Zongshen from Chongqing, China. Just like most overseas motorcycle or scooter manufactures, they focus on small displacement bikes. The RX3 has been one of the more popular bikes in their lineup, which seems to be the reason they were put on the radar of many in the western hemisphere.

This bike might be a 250cc bike, but it has an upgraded stator to run a full set of heated gear, auxillary lights, and even electronics (cell phone, gps charging port). Not only that, but it comes with engine guards, luggage guards, and a skid plate for protection. And the icing on the cake, it comes with a full set of panniers! No joke! This is stock! So, for $3800 bucks you get more on this little puppy than you do spending $16k on a new BMW. Granted, you are probably laughing about my comparison, but at the end of the day, I have a full ADV bike for a fraction of the price and weight of the big boys. I can't wait.

Well now that I got all that out of the way, I'll close by giving you the specs and features as listed on CSC's site.

• ENGINE: NC250
• ENGINE TYPE: Single Cylinder, 4 Stroke, 4 Valve Water Cooled, Overhead Cam with Balance Shaft.
• MAXIMUM POWER: 24.8 hp
• MAXIMUM TORQUE: 16.6 ft. lbs
• PISTON SWEPT VOLUME: 250cc
• COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.5:1
• IGNITION SYSTEM: US Delphi EFI Electronic Ignition
• CHAIN: Racing Type Oil Seal Chain
• FRONT SUSPENSION: Dual Lubricating Inverted Forks
• REAR SUSPENSION: Adjustable Central Rear Shock Absorber
• HEADLIGHT: 3D Anti-Fog Fish Eye Headlamp
• FRONT BRAKE: SINGLE PISTON CALIPER, SINGLE DISC, 262mm (10.31")
• REAR BRAKE: SINGLE PISTON CALIPER, SINGLE DISC, 258mm (10.15")
• SEAT HEIGHT: 31.3"
• GROUND CLEARANCE: 8.3"


Features


• 2 YEAR WARRANTY: 2 years parts and 1 year service
• LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: 83.8" x 34.2" x 49.6". 
• WHEELBASE: 55.1".
• FUEL CAPACITY: 4.2 Gallons. 
• WEIGHT: 385 lbs. 
• MAXIMUM LOAD: 330 lbs. 
• MAXIMUM SPEED: 84 mph. 
• TRANSMISSION: 6 Speed, Internal Gear Shift. 
• BRAKE SYSTEM: Disc, Front & Rear. 
• FRONT TIRE/WHEEL: 100-90-18. 
• REAR TIRE/WHEEL: 130-90-17. 
• MUFFLER: Stainless Steel Waterproof Design. 
• INSTRUMENTATION: Siemens Chip LCD Smart Speedometer.
• IGNITION SYSTEM: US Delphi EFI Electronic Ignition

Progressive International Motorcycle Show - NYC, Part 4

Part 4 leads us to Triumph Motorcycles. I couldn't wait to check out this part of the press tour. A few of my friends on Google ride them and love them. Riders like +Rachael Fuzzygalore and +Wayne Fields. For most enthusiasts we all know that Triumph is giving BMW ADV riders a run for their money. BMW has been holding the #1 spot for a while, but you can't ignore the Triumph ADV collection. The New Tiger 800/880XC or the Explorer are perfect for the road and off-road experience. The Explorer is packed with 1215cc of power, liquid cooled 12 valve and shaft drive. Switchable ABS, 57 estimated highway miles. Starting at $15,699, I'll take one please! But don't think Triumph has forgotten about their cruiser riders. That's one thing they reminded us at the show by introducing a bagger! Yes, a Bagger! Pretty sweet bike. The sad part is I can't find any info on it. I'll have to dig further in to the press kit and do an update to this blog later.

Progressive International Motorcycle Show - NYC, Part 3

Part 3 continues with Can-Am an innovative new way to ride on three wheels. You can believe what you hear, but you can't dismiss what your eyes see. These bikes are super sporty, comfortable for the long haul and come with tons of accessory options. The cooper and black model is the Spyder RS-S. This is a high performance model with 15 in Carbon black wheels, tons of cargo space, LED lights and this baby is one hell of a bad ass. I know, I know.."it's got 3 wheels". I've heard many say that and so have you. Let's put aside our differences and just look at the bike. We all want the same thing out of riding motorcycles and that's wind in our hair and adventure! We're taught to not judge each other in life when it comes to other things, so don't judge a riders choice of putting 3 wheels in motion versus 2.

Let's get to Victory Motorcycles, aka another American made motorcycle. These guys had a few surprises waiting for us. Victory revealed two special bikes at the show. The first one is Victory's 15th Anniversary touring bike. Only 150 of them were made and the cost for one of them is around $29k.

The next surprise had to do with Cory Ness of Arlen Ness Customs. He designed this Victory Arlen Ness Cross Country Custom that supports the National Motorcycle Museum. You can actually win this bike by donating to the museum.It's packed with 106 cubic inches of power. There's just too much on this bike to list. 

Progressive International Motorcycle Show - NYC, Part 2

Here we go, part 2 leads us to Kawasaki! One bike I couldn't wait to check out was the KLR. 651cc four-stroke, DOHC, four-valve single engine, 5-speed, chain drive, liquid cooled and so much more. This baby is the bad ass that will take on the trail and show you a good time. You'll forget what riding on the street feels like, although this is a street friendly bike. I test road the 2011 model last year and did about 80 mph on the highway. Kind of scary, but still fun! Black, green or yellow are the hot colors for 2013.

If you're more of a cruiser type of rider. The new Valcun line is nothing to dismiss at all. The stock seats are far more comfortable than any Harley Davidson I've ever sat on. The less chrome look is really an eye catcher as well. Less maintenance and more time riding. Serious competition for a more affordable cost.    

Had to save the best for last....the famous Ninja family. Boy are these bikes just sharp. I seriously wanted to ride one off the showroom floor...catch me if you can. One really interesting thing that I personally would have never thought to do with a Ninja is add hard bags to it. I don't know about you, but more than 5hrs on these things and your butt is a goner. You can ask my buddy Louis Clegg about that day! lol Anyhow, the bikes have adjustable windshields, which I thought was really cool feature for when weather changes up on you. Speed, ABS, liquid cooled, from 250cc to 1000cc....the Ninja is indeed still the Captain of the road for sport bikes. Now with a touring luggage option....smh still.  

Progressive International Motorcycle Show - NYC, Part 1

I was lucky enough to score a couple press passes to attend the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows Press Day at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York on January 18th on behalf of MotoChat . I invited along a dear friend who's a New York native, writer and producer, the one and only Ms Jeri Klein. On a side note, we were also secretly shopping for a new motorcycle for her. Did we find one....you'll have to read on to find out.

At 9am the Press was taken on a tour to meet and get introduced to the new line of motorcycles that all the major dealership had at the show. While on this tour, I was accompanied by another dear friend, Marjorie Kleiman, aka Shadow, editor of Thunder Press Magazine  and was also able to finally able to meet Lance Lau of Maverick Moto Media. 

The tour for me started at Honda Powersports (I was late and missed the BMW intros, but stay tuned for those bikes). The first bike that caught my eye was the NC700x (of course). We had a month long special about this bike on MotoChatTV. My co-host J. Brandon was part of the Cycle World NC700x Challenge. (You can find out more about the challenge via our YouTube Channel.) It was awesome to finally see, feel, touch and sit on it. The NC700x is truly a great bike for the money. At under 7k, it's a steal and so are many of the other bikes Honda had to offer. The CBR collection of bikes have truly kept up to the Honda standard. Sharp looking, comfortable, and fast is still part of the package when it comes to these bikes. The CBR600RR features a new front suspension with 12-spoke aluminum wheels and to finish off with C-ABS. For you off-road enthusiasts the CRF250L is calling your name. Fuel injected single-cylinder engine, electric starter, comfortable sitting and very affordable at the pump. The CB1100 was one sharp bike. If you love cafe racer style riding or just cruisers, you'll love this bike. It has an 1140cc Transverse-Four engine, which is pact with power and gives you a nice smooth ride.